


The Benefits of Friends

by Anonymous_Creator



Category: Critical Role (Web Series) RPF
Genre: Background Relationships, M/M, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-23 17:01:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16622864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous_Creator/pseuds/Anonymous_Creator
Summary: Taliesin and Matt share a heartfelt moment and reaffirm where they stand with one another.





	The Benefits of Friends

**Author's Note:**

> The first rule of shipping real life humans is -- don't ship the real life humans. Especially don't ship them anywhere they can SEE it. And for the good grace of green apples don't mention it in places outside of this. This is weird. You're here too, welcome to my weird, weirdling. Enjoy it, but let's respect the real life humans and keep it on the down low.
> 
> I also appreciate comments, all that being said. If you're feeling brave.

Taliesin leaned against Matt on the couch. He enjoyed the casual touch that his second family shared. Being able to feel Matt’s heartbeat, his head propped on Matt’s chest. He knew some folks online read into their physical contact, and he supposed that in some -- maybe most -- of the viewing audience, their habit of falling into each other’s laps and hanging off each other was a bit unusual.

“Fuck’em” he said out loud and wiggled closer to Matt. Matt shifted his elbow a bit so he could keep working on his iPad and chuckled.

“Feeling a bit defiant today?” Matt said. He turned and gave Taliesin a quick peck on the top of his head before typing on his iPad.

“We said we’d keep thing the same. As much as we could. And we have. Within reason. Haven’t we?”

Matt set his iPad on the coffee table and leaned his own head against Taliesin. “Well. We’re mostly us. There’s always aspects we won’t share on camera.”

“It’s just weird, is all. How did we end up in a world where the entire Internet gets to judge if we’re too cuddly?”

Matt coughed for a moment. “Well, I uh, I didn’t realize you had that kind of concern.” He paused for a moment and fiddled with one of his leather bracelets.

“It’s not a concern,” Taliesin said in a hurried rush. “It’s more a frustration. A nuisance thought.”

“Something in particular bring this to mind?” Matt asked as he half turned on the couch so he could look Taliesin in the eyes.

Taliesin sighed and shifted so that one hand was hanging over the back of the couch. “It’s just. We’re striving to be authentic people right? To give something back to the world that’s helpful, and real. And I still worry that half the audience judges us for being some kind of polyamorous, hedonistic play group.”

Matt had a peculiar, half amused, half puzzled look on his face as he struggled to speak. “Well,” he said, finally, “perhaps, and please correct me if I’m wrong, if over half the group hadn’t been curious about the other half at some point or another this might be less of a stretch?”

Taliesin sighed and ran a hand over his face. “See, this is what I mean. Being curious, being open about being curious. Can’t do that. Can’t be a happily married couple, and for God’s sake, we have even more children in the mix now- - can’t be happily married and admit that mammals are gonna mammal. It’s ridiculous.”

Matt played with the cadence of “mammals gonna mammal,” his expression one of comical amusement as he repeated the phrase a few times to himself.

“Never mind,” Taliesin said. He pulled away from the couch and grabbed his laptop. With jerky motions he tried to pack up his work space quickly. The power cord tangle was the absolute last thing he expected to bring him to tears today. He didn’t give a damn about the cord, he thought as his hands shook, tears slipping past his control as he fiddled with the tangle. What the hell was wrong with him?

He flinched away instinctually from the hand Matt placed on his shoulder. Taliesin gave a frustrated cry and tossed the cable next to his work bag and turned to look at Matt.

Damn it, Matt looked stricken. Of course he did. Matt would never have meant to hurt him.

“I’m sorry.” Matt said. A hand was held out in entreaty. “I didn’t know you were in a rough space. Doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t have mocked you.”

“No,” Taliesin said, “it’s fine -- I mean not fine - but.” He stopped to take a breath. “Sometimes I don’t know how we all decided to be roughly monogamous. Us? How did this happen to us?”

Matt offered a tender, sympathetic smile and held his arms out for a hug. “So, this wasn’t really about the viewers at home,” he said.

Taliesin gently leaned against Matt. When Matt’s hands ran through his hair he couldn’t help himself. He nuzzled into Matt’s neck and pressed a few delicate kisses against his pulse.

Matt sighed softly and his hands wrapped firmly around Taliesin’s hips. “I didn’t mean to cause you pain,” he said. His voice was pitched for Taliesin’s ear’s only. Barely a breath.

Taliesin answered, well aware there was a growl in his words. “I’m the only one causing myself pain here.”

“Do we need to revisit our arrangement?” Matt asked.

“What?” Taliesin pulled back for a second to see what Matt was thinking. Matt quirked an eyebrow at him.

“No,” Taliesin said with a firm shake of his head. “No.” He paused and looked inside himself for breath. “Not yet. I still want to give her what’s she asked for. Time to grow us. It’s not unreasonable.”

Matt shifted his hands over Taliesin’s body and let them trail down his arms until he could hold Taliesin’s hands. With a light squeeze he released one and wiped at Taliesin’s cheeks. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Matt said. “And of course I miss you. But take all the time you need. I don’t want you in my bed unless everyone’s ready for that.”

Taliesin returned that squeeze and then let go. He reached into his work bag and pulled out a handkerchief -- classic fashion to the rescue -- and repaired some of the damage to his face while he spoke.

“That’s far too sensible. It’s almost like you’re a sane adult and we’re both still having fantastic sex - just not with each other - on the regular.”

Taliesin enjoyed Matt’s laugh. He enjoyed a lot of things about Matt. And eventually they’d get around to enjoying them again.

“Go splash some water. Hell, get a shower if you need to.” Matt said. Matt sat back down on the couch and picked up his iPad.

Taliesin put the rest of his things away. He leaned in and stole one lovely, deep kiss before he headed to his car. He could have showered here, but here didn’t have a wonderful woman he loved and the promise of a home cooked meal he’d carefully shopped the day before.

He’d cook for her, clean for her, and certainly he could wait for her. Time to learn who they were before integrating that into the whole. Time to figure out how that worked in her own head and heart. It wasn’t ‘no’, and for today, that would have to be enough.


End file.
